Turkey Talk for 2014

[Arielle]

1 of my 4 Narra/BR/Bronze? X turkeys was born with a crooked toe. With some research, I used the sandal technique and this is the result after only 5 days! So thankful for these forums!

Great job!!!! Awesome results!!

I checked a egg in her nest it is fertile. She got off the nest yesterday afternoon she has 6 eggs I thought she only had 4.
Hope I have better luck with a mama turkey my chickens are stupid. Walked out to close pens late last night. The mama cochin bamtam had got on the wrong nest. 7 little babies chirping their heads off very cold one had already passed 6 very cold. Took them in the house set them in the incubator to warm them up. 3 made it but 3 passed.
chicks are calling all need to be fed. Over run with chicks
these are the babies I hatch so all still alive and out grow chicks

Too cute!!

Hard to know who will be a good mama-- if you have a good one marke her as a keeper.

I had them on Pullet starter 16% protein. THey are on a deep bed of pine shavings. I have used this style of bedding for raising chicks without a problem. Will increasing the protein at this point reverse the spraddle legs. Do I need to bandage them like I would a chick? I am feeling really bad...

I have never raised poults on less than 22% ( heritage and BBW). I've never had many problems.

We have all amde errors here and there, that is part of learning. No judgement on this thread.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I had them on Pullet starter 16% protein. THey are on a deep bed of pine shavings. I have used this style of bedding for raising chicks without a problem. Will increasing the protein at this point reverse the spraddle legs. Do I need to bandage them like I would a chick? I am feeling really bad...

I would definitely try to bandage them. They will heal faster and be more likely to heal at the proper angles if they have support, even if just for 2-3 days. Depending on how many you have and how big your brooder is, there may be some technical difficulties with numerous little shackled birds wobbling about -- poult dominos!!

 

[Arielle]

Is anyone looking for hatching eggs???

Auction for 8+ Bourbon Red eggs

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754060/the-new-crazy-24hr-auction-thread/7700_20#post_13631676

Let me know if this isn't correct.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

If all goes well, I'm going to have turkeys in 3 weeks!
Sorry for the blur (hard to hold the flashlight, egg, and camera at the same time), but hopefully you can make out the black dot and the veins...
(can ignore the black squiggle at the top of the egg - it's the pen number that the egg came from)

 

[cozadfarm]

So I have three royal palm turkeys sharing a nest with 6 eggs. Lost my male last month. Very excited hoping all six hatch. Last year I incubated 8 eggs but only 5 managed to hatch. Hoping for a better hatch rate from my girls. Anyone ever have multiple hens share a nest like this? Seems odd to me.

 

[Sydney Acres]

So I have three royal palm turkeys sharing a nest with 6 eggs. Lost my male last month. Very excited hoping all six hatch. Last year I incubated 8 eggs but only 5 managed to hatch. Hoping for a better hatch rate from my girls. Anyone ever have multiple hens share a nest like this? Seems odd to me.

It's quite common with turkeys. Sometimes it works out great, with communal nesting and communal raising of the whole clutch. Other times the hens steal eggs from one another, or fight, or just jostle each other, and eggs get broken or chicks get trampled. So it's a bit of a risk, especially with no male anymore.

You said you lost your male last month. Do you mean a month ago, or sometime in May (so 1-5 weeks ago)? Did you buy fertile eggs for this hatch, or are these 6 eggs from your hens? If from your hens, how old are the eggs, or how long after you lost your male were the eggs laid? Hens do retain sperm for a long time, but the likelihood of fertile eggs goes way down in the third week.

 

[Arielle]

If all goes well, I'm going to have turkeys in 3 weeks!
Sorry for the blur (hard to hold the flashlight, egg, and camera at the same time), but hopefully you can make out the black dot and the veins...
(can ignore the black squiggle at the top of the egg - it's the pen number that the egg came from)

YOu are far more coordinated that I to get such a good pic!!

 

[Arielle]

So I have three royal palm turkeys sharing a nest with 6 eggs. Lost my male last month. Very excited hoping all six hatch. Last year I incubated 8 eggs but only 5 managed to hatch. Hoping for a better hatch rate from my girls. Anyone ever have multiple hens share a nest like this? Seems odd to me.

I have two nests going-- 2 hens in one biiiiiiiggggggg dog crate; and 3 in a large coop-- seems like when one goes broody with eggs the others follow. Hatch rate is yet to be determined!! lol

 

[Jryan18]

Hello everyone I have been reading through the pages of posts and finally took some pics of my Beltsville white, I set 12 eggs a while ago and it was the only one that hatched, I set another 12 27 days ago and have 3 left from that, that made it to lockdown. Any guesses on sex, it is 4 wks old and I think it is a hen(jenny?) Because it appears to be getting a Mohawk although I don't think any of the pics show it well. https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6401991/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

 

[sonderah]

Just curious, does the "Mohawk" usually mean female? I have a 6ish week old that I was just laughing about its Mohawk the other day.